Dubuque, Iowa-- The No. 1-ranked Wartburg College wrestling team captured their sixth-consecutive NCAA Division III Regional Championship Sunday, February 25 at the Five Flags Center in Dubuque. The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) claimed 19 of the 30 national qualifying spots available to the Lower Midwest Region.
The Knights claimed eight individual champions and nine wrestlers became NCAA national qualifiers on their way to 181.5 team points. Loras finished second with 130.0 team points, followed by Coe in third with 97.0 points and Central in fourth with 78.5 points. Loras College's
Kevin Kelly was named Outstanding Wrestler of the Lower Midwest Regional Tournament.
Eric Keller was voted Lower Midwest Regional Tournament Coach of the Year and
Loras' Assistants were named Lower Midwest Regional Tournament Assistant Coaches of the Year.
Wartburg will be sending a conference-best nine wrestlers to the 2018 NCAA Division III National Wrestling Championship, held March 9 -10 at the Cleveland Public Auditorium in Cleveland, OH. Loras College was second with four wrestlers advancing to Cleveland, followed by Central and Coe, each qualifying three.
Of the 19 IIAC wrestlers moving onto the NCAA Championships, 10 were crowned Lower Midwest Region Champions and five earned second-place. Twelve IIAC wrestlers competed for third-place with four walking away with the win and qualifying for the national tournament.
Lower Midwest Region Champions by weight
125: Brennen Doebel, Wartburg
133: Brock Rathbun, Wartburg
141: Kevin Kelly, Loras (Outstanding Wrestler)
149: Cross Canonne, Wartburg
157: Logan Thomsen, Wartburg
165: Mike Ross, Wartburg
174: Eric DeVos, Wartburg
184: Tyler Lutes, Wartburg
197: Kyle Fank, Wartburg
285: Quin Gilliam, Loras
| Team Scores |
| 1 |
Wartburg College |
181.5 |
| 2 |
Loras College |
130.0 |
| 3 |
Coe College |
97.0 |
| 4 |
Central College |
78.5 |
| 5 |
North Central College |
77.5 |
| 6 |
Cornell College |
65.5 |
| 7 |
Millikin University |
61.5 |
| 8 |
University Of The Ozarks (Arkansas) |
49.0 |
| 9 |
University Of Dubuque |
39.5 |
| 10 |
Luther College |
37.5 |
| 11 |
Augustana College (Illinois) |
34.5 |
| 12 |
Simpson College |
26.5 |
| 13 |
Huntingdon College |
22.0 |
| 14 |
Nebraska Wesleyan University |
10.5 |
| 15 |
Buena Vista University |
5.0 |
| 16 |
Westminster College (Missouri) |
4.0 |
| 17 |
MacMurray College |
2.5 |
The Iowa Conference also named its all-conference team based on the results from the regional championship. The top three finishers from IIAC schools at each weight class earned All-IIAC honors.
All-Iowa Conference by weight
125lbs
- 1st Place - Brennen Doebel of Wartburg College
- 2nd Place - Clarren Pestano of Central College
- 4th Place - Brock Henderson of Coe College
133lbs
- 1st Place - Brock Rathbun of Wartburg College
- 4th Place - Michael Triplett of Loras College
- 5th Place - John Gioffredi of Simpson College
141lbs.
- 1st Place - Kevin Kelly of Loras College
- 4th Place - Dan Radcliffe of Central College
- 6th Place - Brady Ruden of Coe College
149lbs.
- 1st Place - Cross Cannone of Wartburg College
- 2nd Place - Jimmy Davis of Loras College
- 4th Place - Levi Azinger of Coe College
157lbs.
- 1st Place - Logan Thomsen of Wartburg College
- 2nd Place - Cole Erickson of Coe College
- 4th Place - Quincy Kalkbrenner of University Of Dubuque
165lbs.
- 1st Place - Mike Ross of Wartburg College
- 3rd Place - Jeremy Vester of Central College
- 4th Place - Billy Poray of Luther College
174lbs.
- 1st Place - Eric Devos of Wartburg College
- 2nd Place - Jake Voss of Coe College
- 3rd Place - Nathan Fritz of Central College
184lbs.
- 1st Place - Tyler Lutes of Wartburg College
- 4th Place - Awais Arain of Loras College
- 5th Place - Noah Robison of Simpson College
197lbs.
- 1st Place - Kyle Fank of Wartburg College
- 2nd Place - Guy Patron of Loras College
- 3rd Place - Andrew Holladay of Coe College
285lbs.
- 1st Place - Quin Gilliam of Loras College
- 3rd Place - Lance Evans of Wartburg College
- 5th Place - Robert Melise of University Of Dubuque
